Hello Gators, Congratulations! You’ve successfully navigated your way to the 2015 finish line and now it’s time to get off to a fast start in 2016! We’re going to do our best to help you with lots of opportunities to learn, train, race, socialize, and work towards achieving your goals this year. Before we get into that… Thanks to Jon Wesler and Brent Voynar for serving as President and Vice-President of the club as part of our first elected slate of officers! We’ve made a lot of great progress during the year and a half they were in office and their efforts are greatly appreciated! And welcome to our new slate of officers who started their terms on January 1… Byron Solvason (President), Frank Moffa (Vice-President), Chris Reiter (Treasurer), and Don Mack (continuing as Secretary). If you are interested in joining the club’s leadership team, please contact any of our officers and they can get you involved. This week's news topics include...Accomplishments… The Race That Spanned Two Years, a Full Fridge, and Just Keep Swimming!!Gator Gear… Need a uniform or some Gator training gear for 2016? Place your order by Tues, 1/12!!!Grab Your Spot… January is membership renewal month and if you act fast you could win a prize!!!Gatorthon II… Coming to a treadmill near you on Sunday, 2/28!!!Gator Fitness Challenge III and IV… One’s done and another is started… Have you registered?Mark Your Calendars… Lots of upcoming events including a Training Peaks tips and tricks seminar coming later this month!!! Congrats! Congratulations to Steph Bieloski and Joe Boris who were recently engaged! Happy Birthday! Best wishes to the following Gators who recently celebrated birthdays…Monday, December 28: Maddie MatarazzoFriday, January 1: Michelle Leonard Welcome! A warm welcome to the following new club members! We look forward to meeting, training, and racing with you in 2016!Tina BellesJen RuizSusan RyanMichelle Sipe Accomplishments: Our first multi-year race, a full fridge, and a lot of laps…Wednesday, December 30-Friday, January 1:Snowdrop Ultra 55 Hour Race & Relay (Sugarland, TX): Ruth Subach competed in this event as part of the Evergreen Light relay team. The team completed a total of 173.2 miles with Ruth contributing a massive 60K effort. Way to go, Ruth!!Friday, January 1: In what is traditionally our shortest event of the year…RefrigaGator Swim III (Pottstown, PA): Thirteen Gators took on the annual New Year’s Day Pottstown Polar Bear Plunge in the Schuylkill River including… Suzanne “Fireball” Angelaccio, Tony Angelaccio, Vince Bellino, Mary Donovan, Michelle Leonard, Don Mack, Tim Pfluger, Maureen Pinkerton, Nabil Radouane, Andy Rosebrook, Doug Schmidt, Michelle Sipe, and Byron Solvason. This smashed our previous participation record of five set in 2015. Also on hand to witness the craziness and capture some photos were Mark Donovan and Steph Babiec. There were also major media outlets on hand to film the event and several Gators can be seen on the NBC 10 news footage from January 1 and there was also a front page photo on the January 2 Pottstown Mercury that features Doug, Maureen, Suzanne, and Andy.Saturday, January 2:Masters Swim Distance Challenge (Spring Valley YMCA): Chris Reiter took on the Gators Masters Swim Team’s one hour distance challenge and was able to log 3,550 yards (which is about a length over 2 miles). Great job, Chris! Gator Gear: Our major uniform order for 2016 will be placed next week. You have until late the evening of Tuesday, January 12 to place any orders. Here’s a link to the site… https://www.lgpickpayride.com/SVYMultisport_160123PPR Grab Your Spot: All Gator memberships expired on December 31, so now is the time to renew your club membership. You can do so at the front desk at the Y or online (under Aquatics). EVERYONE has to renew including all coaches. We will leave unregistered members on the e-mail distribution list and on the Facebook group until January 31. Some incentive to renew early… All members that renew by January 15 will be eligible for a prize drawing that will include at least one entry into the French Creek Triathlon (provided by our new sponsor, John Kenny). Gatorthon II: Based on the success of Gatorthon last March, we are again going to host this club event/fundraiser on Sunday, February 28 on the treadmills at the Spring Valley YMCA. We’re almost ready to start accepting volunteers to run. Basically you can run any length from a mile to 26.2 miles with teams each completing a treadmill marathon. Watch for a Facebook event posting coming soon seeking runners and donations! Last year we had 17 runners and raised $1,000… This year we are looking to exceed both totals (and have a lot of fun)! Gator Fitness Challenge III and IV: GFC III ended last week with Brian Kozera and Rob Fletcher each winning a free Piranha sprint race entry. GFC IV began this week. If you have not yet signed up and would like to do so, please contact Don Mack. This week’s Gator Fitness Challenges:SBR Challenge: At least 30 minutes each swimming, biking, and running with a combined minimum total of at least 2 hours.Plank Challenge: 20 seconds (increases 20 seconds each week) Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming events include…Saturday, January 9, 11:15am-12:15pm: Bike “field test” by Walton Endurance at the Twisted Cog in Phoenixville. Requires pre-registration ($25 fee includes this and one future field test).Wednesday, January 27, 7pm-8:15pm: Training Peaks Navigation and Use seminar by Danny Friend taking place at the Y in the Corporate Conference Room.Saturday, February 20-Sunday, February 21: The Endurance Sports Expo will take place at the Oaks convention center.Sunday, February 28, 8am: Gatorthon II will take place on the treadmills at the Spring Valley YMCA.Sunday, March 13: “Gatorman Indoor Triathlon” will take place at the Spring Valley YMCA… More details coming soon. Go Gators! Don M